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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A53960 A practical discourse upon humility wherein is shewn the nature, reasonableness, and usefulness thereof : together with the ways of expressing and increasing it / by Edward Pelling ... Pelling, Edward, d. 1718. 1694 (1694) Wing P1087; ESTC R38182 79,993 207

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great Incendiary that heady and disobedient Principle and the Yoke being shaken off Confusion and Anarchy and infinite variety of Mischief must follow of course THE same Spirit of Disobedience which raiseth Commotions in the State operates in the Church too and there indeed more fatally because animated with a great tho' mistaken Zeal for Religion and Lucifer there transforms himself into an Angel of Light Diotrephes loved to have the preeminence 3 John 9. and this Ambition of Mind made him so hardy as to oppose the Authority of St. John Simon Magus the first that corrupted the Christian Faith did it for fear of losing or lessening the Esteem he had while he was yet a Sorcerer He gave out that himself was some great one and deceived People into a belief That he was the great power of God Acts 8. 9 10. To preserve his Credit he would have bought the Gift of Miracles and seeing it was not to be sold for Money to support his great Name he turned Apostate and the Ring-leader of Apostates opposing and exalting himself above all that was called God or that was Worshipp'd so that as God he sate in the Temple of God pretending himself that he was God 2 Thess 2. 4. In after-times assuming Spirits became Hereticks that they might be in the Head of a Sect and build themselves Monuments tho' upon the Ruines of God's Sanctuary And in our own days the same Spirit still worketh in the Hearts of the Children of Disobedience who set up Fancy against Truth private Reason against Divine Revelation and separate Parties against Government and Order The bottom of all this is Pride because Men swollen with that Disease think it beneath them to be dictated unto would be thought more Knowing and more Holy than others and love singularity because it makes Men always talk'd of and sometimes venerated And tho' for all this some Arguments are pretended yet the Disputation is maintain'd not so much for Truth as for Victory Pertinacy will still hold what Singularity before invented and such as coyn new Opinions will be sure for their Credit sake to make them as currant as they can to justifie the stamp they once set upon them By this means poor credulous People are abused with false Notions which by degrees make an impress upon their Minds not only of the Falshood but of the Vice too from which the Error came so that in a short time Spiritual Pride grows Popular and ends in Schism which instead of curing the Humour inflames it and canonizeth a Sin which God threw out of Heaven to be damned eternally THEREFORE we cannot give a plainer and better Expression of our Humility than by rendring Honour and Subjection to whom it is due and to the utmost extent which the Laws of God will admit of I am far from pleading for an implicit Faith a blind Obedience that will necessarily bring us in danger of the Ditch if we should trust barely as some are taught to do to the Conduct of our Leaders At all times we should be careful of these Four things 1. FIRST Not to start Opinions out of a Principle of Opposition to our Superiours For it is an ill sign when People have an itch in their Ears to hear their Governors hardly spoken of and an itch in their Hearts to contradict and thwart them This can proceed from nothing but from Opiniatry and a strong Presumption in them that they are fit to be Dictators and it looks as if they had a mind to raise themselves a Name by treading upon Authority a thing which we are not to Trample on but Reverence 2. SECONDLY In those Points which are of a doubtful Nature we should pay great Respect and Deference to the Judgment of the Church we belong to For every humble Man must think it much easier for one or two to be deceived than for a thousand especially when it is the Office of so many to inquire more particularly after Truth and their Abilities are more probable to find it out They must be very strong Reasons that can warrant Men to depart from a receiv'd Opinion Yet it is not always Reason but for the most part Affectation that gives the incouragement a desire of being taken notice of by stepping out of the way from the rest who think it more advisable and safe to follow the beaten Path. For Men to distinguish themselves by Singularity and to set up Private Judgment against Publick Definitions is to tell the World that they have more Sence and Understanding than others and that their own Conceits are better Standards of Truth than any that can be found in the Sanctuary In short where some particular Persons differ in their Sence from the Church in general private Sentiments should be managed with all possible Modesty These Opinions are not to be judged of by the Poll because Error is too often Popular yet considering how great an hand Pride is apt to have in all Disputes and how much easier it is for private Men to be mistaken than to retract we should evermore observe that Law of Humility which the Apostle hath laid before us Rom. 14. 22. Hast thou Faith Have it to thy self before God That is whatever a Man's Persuasion be as to things Disputable he ought to keep it so private by himself as not to make it an occasion of Disturbance or Offence 3. THIRDLY When Authority requires things that are Innocent in their own Nature we should express our Humility by complying with those Commands In this case too 't is Pride that makes Head against Order a stiff Sinew in the Neck that hinders Men from stooping to that which Laws Divine and Humane have made their Duty Humility teacheth us to be Pliant and Peaceable to be Tractable Yielding and Obsequious And I think as to this we need no plainer Directions than what our most humble Lord gave his first Disciples Matth. 23. 2 3. The Scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses seat and therefore whatsoever they bid you observe that observe and do The Rulers he spake of were for the most part very wicked Men and scandalous Hypocrites which was the Ground of the following Caution Do not ye after their works for they say and do not And yet considering that in their Authority they succeeded Moses who had his Authority immediately of God they were to be obeyed in all Commands that were lawful This Rule is applicable to all Cases now where things which are not really Sinful are imposed by those who have the Government of us They sit in Christ's Seat they derive their Authority from Christ as he did his from his Father and for that reason their Innocent Directions are to be observed whatever their Personal Condition or Quality of Life may be And therefore when you are directed by such as sit in the Seat of the scornful to hold off and to disobey if the matters enjoyned be not evidently repugnant to the Will of God